Mad world
by CrazyFM
Summary: Several one shots or chapters based on some of the A-Team episodes. They will be featuring Murdock, because there simply isn't enough of him in the show. I will update this, whenever I get inspired. Disclaimer: I don't own the A-Team or anything or anyone in here you might recognize. Warnings: Spoiler (more in the A/Ns)
1. Chapter 1

**Never again**** (one shot to "One more time")**

**Disclaimer: I guess I have to say it again, because it is sooo implausible, that people who write FAN fiction don't own the things they write about: I DON'T own The A-Team, not yet, not now, not ever :'( Everything you might recognise is definitely not mine.**

**Warnings: Spoiler for "One more time" (Season 1), if you haven't watched it you might not understand the story.**

**This little chapter features Amy and Murdock (Happy Birthday, Dwight Schultz!) and their feelings during "One more time".**

**Enjoy!**

It was a perfectly normal day on the VA. Murdock was really bored, even though the new animal-therapy was quite nice. He just couldn't help it there hadn't been a word from his team in months. Even annoying the poor nurse with his monkey talk and singing didn't provide the diversion he needed so much. It was a real relief, when he heard the phone ring, maybe his team needed him once more, maybe they got a client.

He picked up the phone: "I'm sorry, but you've reached a disconnected number. Now if you feel you've reached this recording in error, how do you think I feel?"

"Hey Murdock!", he was greeted, but it wasn't one of his guys, it was Amy. Something was up. The whole time since Amy began to work with the team she had only once called him. The last time she called him BA had been shot.

His reply was cheery, but on the inside he fell apart.

And than she said it: "The guys have just been caught by Lynch!"

Slowly the words filtered through. It couldn't be true, it just couldn't.

"What?", he asked. "What happened?"

And didn't want to believe it, yet he knew it was true. The guys, his team, his family, had been caught. There would be no more outbreaks, no more flying. He had to get them free.

He would get them out, even if the security was lifted, like Amy said and he would have to get them out all on his own. After all he was the self-proclaimed "King of Crazy"!

The next minutes went by in a blur, giving Amy instructions, providing distraction, breaking out of the VA.

Luck was on his side for he straight away found a bakery truck and used it to escape.

"You gotta stay with your unit."

Like a mantra he kept repeating it on the whole way towards Amy.

When he reached Amy he was singing, just to keep his mind from analysing everything that could go wrong. Singing always helped him, as did pretending to be someone else. He could slip into his role completely and forget all his trouble.

This time he would really have to put on a hell of an act, after all he had to be Face, talking his way in the military station, where his buddies were kept, coming up with a plan, like Hannibal would and protecting Amy like only BA could. He wasn't sure if he could do it, but as he reached Amy he put on a confident smile nevertheless.

Getting in proved to be easy, but they stood there quite a while with their truck for any sign of the A-team.

Every second someone could come their way, could question their presence, but luck was on their side. Nothing happened.

Finally Murdock saw them, his guys, they seemed to be all right, only BA was unconscious,. They were going to fly. Murdock was confused, why the hell were they flying, where were they going?

He followed their car with his truck all the way to a little airport. Determined not to let them out of sight.

Amy noticed that something was wrong with Murdock. Even though he chattered away like always, making jokes, acting crazy, she knew something was wrong. Of course it was, his team was in danger after all.

He was however hiding his concerns really good, if it hadn't been for all the little signs she might never have noticed. But if he was joking, he somehow didn't seem to be in it wholeheartedly. He kept drumming on his steering wheel, whenever the car they were following disappeared behind a bend. And when they held on the airport he just couldn't sit still, he was wringing his hands, yearning to do something.

He sprang into action as soon as he knew they had to leave by plane.

Only seconds later Murdock got out of the barn in a flight suit, he had knocked the other pilot out in BA style.

As soon as she saw him, Amy could tell, that he didn't want her to come with him. He was anxious that he would do something wrong, that she would get hurt. Still there was no way that Amy would let the fragile pilot alone now, so she all but forced her way in.

It wasn't like Murdock could do anything about it, if he didn't want to lose his team.

With a sarcastic "I love it when you're angry", he resigned into his fate.

At that moment Murdock almost seemed normal, but being on the plane with him reminded Amy how worried her friend really was.

Flying with Murdock normally was quite an adventure, he would make his "jibber-jabber" commentaries, like BA would say, if he ever was conscious at take-off.

Flying, the crazy pilot did always seem so carefree, flying seemed so easy with him at the controls. But not this time, this time there was no whooping. Her pilot was completely focused.

That didn't mean that the flight had been silent. Murdock kept making his nonsense comments, if to distract her or himself she couldn't tell.

Murdock really hadn't wanted to take Amy with him. If something happened to her because he wasn't good enough, after all he was no Hannibal, he would never forgive himself.

During the flight he noticed how Amy gazed at him in concern. She knew he wasn't al right. Still he had to keep on the act, pretend to be in control. He had to look after her.

That was easier said than done. His thoughts kept going in circles.

What if he was to late? What if he failed his team? What if something happened to Amy? Where were they going? What did they want with his team? Would he be on time?...

It was driving him crazy. There was nothing he could do, other than following the plane.

_In front of the camp:_

When he saw them jump out of that plane, the Captain knew he had to follow immediately. Without wasting any time he made Amy jump and followed her down. After quite some time searching the woods here they were, staring at the enemy camp.

They hadn't been there for long when they learned that the team was being held prisoner.

Murdock was on his own once more.

Coming up with a plan was hard for him. Sitting outside the camp in the bushes, with no contact to either of his team mates. Heck, he didn't even know what was happening in there.

Murdock had finally come up with a plan when it happened.

The camp had been quiet for a while, but suddenly there was movement. They got Face out of the hut, they placed him in front of the buildings, they were going to...

"No", was the only thing Murdock could think. "They can't do that!"

Like in trance he watched as the enemy attempted to execute his best buddy. He watched as Face was tied, watched as he tried to scam his way out, it all seemed so unreal. He could only sit there and watch, caught up in a living nightmare.

It was only when Face asked for cigarettes that Murdock snapped out of trance, his buddy rarely ever smoked, it destroyed the whiteness of his teeth.

That could only mean, that Hannibal had a plan.

Murdock watched tensely every movement on the place, ready to spring in whenever needed. He watched as the soldiers took aim at the Lieutenant, desperately wanting to help, but it wasn't time yet. He didn't even know what he was waiting for, but he trusted in his CO.

He saw the big screw fly, that made the oil barrels leak. Murdock sighed with relief, now that he now their plan he would just have to wait for the right moment to interfere. As soon as Face made the barrels explode with the cigarette he had to be ready.

But then the unthinkable happened. Instead of making a nice, big explosion the fire of the cigarette just drowned in the oil.

Murdock knew he had to do something now or it would be to late. He told Amy to shoot the barrels, causing an explosion like Hannibal intended.

The next minutes went by quick. He kept throwing dynamite as the team fought its way out and got on the chopper, BA with a bit persuasion in the form of a well aimed hit on the back of his head. Now Murdock only had to get them out of there.

Again Murdock wasn't whooping at the take-off, but this time he just couldn't. He felt faint with relief and was shaking slightly. If one of his passengers noticed nobody mentioned it. They didn't even look surprised to see him there. They knew he would always come for them, he had always been there when they needed him, like they were always there for him. They were a unit.

Suddenly Murdock felt Hannibal's steady hand on his shoulder.

"Well done kid", the Colonel grinned, one of his trademark cigars in the corner in his mouth.

Murdock shrugged: "You gotta stay with your unit."

But silently he hoped, he would never have to do this again.

**I wasn't quite sure if I should post this, after I wrote this...**

**I originally planned to make this a series of one shots and to update whenever one of the episodes inspire me to do so, but somehow the idea seemed better in my head and now that I wrote it down I'm not that confident about it any more. I am not really happy with how this came out to be, so please review, I really need to know what you think. And if you have any ideas how to make this better please tell me!**

**I may delete this...  
**


	2. Chapter 2

**Co-pilot**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the A-Team... The plot is from the episode "The Beast from the Belly of a Boeing", so I don't own that too. What I own are Murdock's thoughts :)**

**Spoilers: "The Beast from a Belly of a Boeing"**

**Thank you for all the nice reviews, they really made my day and made me feel much more confident about my writing. You are the best!**

**I am not going to delete the first chapter, but I am going to rewrite it as soon as I have the time to do so, until then I decided to try another chapter :)**

**Enjoy!**

A loud bang, sometimes that was all it took to end dreams, destroy futures, destroy lives.

It was all Murdock heard before his world went dark. His eyes hurt and he couldn't see!

"My eyes, my eyes", he shouted in panic.

He was blind! Murdock's mind went into overdrive, what if it was permanent?

He couldn't be blind, for gods sake, he was a pilot! If he was blind there would be no more missions. Hannibal may be crazy or daring enough to take a mad man on their missions, but a blind man? Even Hannibal wouldn't do that, he would never risk the lives of his men in such a way.

No more missions, no more flying, just the dull life at the hospital, day in day out.

Murdock knew he could never bare that, he needed his team, they needed him. It had always been that way.

Hell, they needed him right now, they needed him to fly them back to the airport. How was he supposed to do that now?

Murdock backed off in the corner, feeling the solid wall of the plane, using it as reassurance. Desperately he clung to it as his link to reality, with nothing to see through his eyes, worst case scenarios played out in front of his inner eye.

He saw Hannibal, BA, Face, all dead because he crashed. He almost heard their screams as they went down, saw BA's accusing glare, Hannibal's disappointed look and Face, his best buddy, looking at him with disbelieve, than panic, accusing him for his death.

He remembered all the crashes he had, his mind playing them out in vivid pictures in front of his inner eye...

Murdock heard the scumbag that tried to shoot Face go down with a groan. A moment later he felt caring hands touch his chest, he knew it was Face even before he spoke, he just felt it.

"Funny, what getting blind can do to you", he thought.

"Murdock, buddy, you okay?", the Faceman asked, concern evident in his strained voice.

As always his buddies voice managed to snap him out of whatever dark place in his mind he would go.

"My eyes", he complained. He told him what happened, glad to give a part of his responsibility away, glad to have someone else thinking about how the hell they should get out of there.

He could hear the heavy footsteps of BA nearing his corner. Half he expected to be shouted at and called a "crazy fool" for letting himself get shot, but that didn't happen. BA only tried to reassure the pilot, before stomping past him, the irony of the situation completely lost on either guy. Sympathy and concern were the only emotions in BA's voice, he didn't blame Murdock.

The fighting went on, while the Captain sat there on the floor, unable to tell what was going on, hearing the gunfire, but unable to help his boys. Face stayed with him all the time, his comforting presence keeping the blind man in reality.

Suddenly the plane dropped on one side, a bullet had hit the window.

"Hannibal's plan is really going from bad to worse", the pilot thought, thinking about how he had tried to get BA out of his state of shock, when he realized that he was on a plane, how Hannibal's and the Lieutenants cover had been blown and now he was blinded, at least temporarily and they were all fighting not to get pulled out of the plane.

Desperately he clang to one of the passenger seats, hoping, that his friends had found a tight hold too.

As sudden as it began the plane stabilized again. Murdock let out a small sigh of relief, but the tension didn't leave his body yet, not before he knew if his team was al right.

Murdock loved flying, he really did and everybody knew it, but this was different, now he almost understood BA's aero phobia.

It had been his idea to let Hannibal take the controls and he knew it was the only way to get back down. That was why he had suggested it in the first place, because there was no way, that he could get this bird down himself, not seeing anything, but he still could talk his Colonel in.

Still, to do that he had to pull himself together, his Colonel was on the jazz, BA was frightened to death and Face had already resigned into his fate. It kinda was up to him now.

He tried to keep his voice steady as he gave his orders, no need to scare the big guy any more than he already was, and even if it sounded a bit higher than normal it didn't waver to much.

It was bad enough that the Colonel had to land the aircraft, but without autopilot their chances were slim and the pilot knew it. Everything inside the Captain screamed, for him to just grab the controls and bring the plane down, but if the chances that the Colonel got them down safe and sound were 1 to 500 his own chances right now were much worse.

Step by step he told Hannibal what to do, picturing every single step out in his mind.

Step by step Hannibal got a hold of the plane and step by step they neared the ground.

The constant fear of failing his team were getting at Murdock and the danger of being send into the ocean despite Amy's warning wasn't helping at all. It wasn't like he didn't understand the men, hell, if he had been alone, he would probably have asked for them to do it, but with the guys on board, the men who meant more to him than anybody else...

Talking the Colonel in wasn't easy, he didn't have the gut feeling and the understanding of aircraft Murdock had. Slowly the Captain was beginning to sweat, his hands would have been shaking, hadn't he grasped his trousers.

Murdock normally was acting purely on instinct in the air, but the Colonel wasn't as experienced, he needed clear commands, so that was what the pilot tried to give him.

Whenever his instructions weren't plain enough he would know in an instant and correct himself.

All went well until the landing. At first there were no land to be seen and they were slow but surely running out of fuel.

On the inside Murdock panicked, but on the outside he kept up the act.

He couldn't just sit there anymore, so he began to act as the co-pilot. The Colonel seemed to sense his distress, because he slowly began to take control of the things he could take control on, or maybe he just got more confident as the time went on, the Captain couldn't tell.

Things were getting critical, when the Colonel finally spotted the runway, Murdock could have laughed with relief, but not yet, he had to stay focused, they had to bring the bird down first.

They had only one try and Murdock knew it, the pressure on his shoulders suddenly seemed to much for him to bare. He just wished to finally give in and pass out. He was feeling horrible, his eyes hurt incredible, the world seemed to be spinning around him, even if he couldn't see it and he seemed to run low on air. But the pilot couldn't pass out yet, he had to land the plane first, so he kept fighting.

They were nearing the ground, Murdock could feel it, it was now or never, crash or die. The pressure seemed to be getting more by the second.

"I can do it!", he kept telling himself, after all he had been the best pilot in Nam.

Half way through the landing BA finally lost it, Murdock couldn't really tell what was going on, but it seemed the burly Seargent got a hold of his "pilot". Murdock held his breath, this wasn't good at all, but finally Face managed to get the big guy off Hannibal.

There was no way back now, they were out of fuel, they were going to get down NOW. Murdock could no longer hold the concern out of his voice as he was frantically giving his orders, he was sweating uncontrollably now.

It was a real relief, when they finally hit ground and Hannibal managed to keep the bird down. Still they were much to fast, someone had to hit the brakes!

It wasn't as the tower told them just the same thing that Murdock realised, that he had to do that...

He hit down on them as hard as he could, the plane got slower but not enough, he held the breaks firmly in place, they slowed down, but kept rolling on.

They would hit something, the Captain knew it.

Almost the same second the realisation hit Murdock, he heard the Colonel shout: "Okay, get your heads down!" and instantly replied.

He heard glass shattering and screams as they finally came to an halt. Was everybody alright? Did they stop in time to prevent greater damage?

They had, everything was okay.

He breathed a sigh of relief. Now that they were back on the ground again he couldn't help but joke "Maybe they'll let me fly one of these birds, now that I'm not crazy any more."

He knew it could have been a lot worse, yes BA was out of it again, but Face was already making jokes and even without seeing it he could tell, that the Colonel had a wide, maniac smile on his face, as he said "I love it, when a plan comes together!"

**I hope you liked it, please review. **

**I have the next chapter already planned out. It will be about an episode of season two and will at least partly be written in Hannibal's POV. **

**In said episode there is one scene that really broke my heart, there is one Murdock quote that just makes him seem as small and vulnerable as a little child. And the look in his brown eyes just makes me want to hug him. **

**If you think you know what episode I am referring to, just review or PM me and whoever gets it right first, gets to say about which episode or scene I should write the next chapter about.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Meant to fly**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the A-Team.**

**Sorry for the long wait. **

**Congratulations for MissEclipse, who could not only point out the right episode, but also the right sentence. You get to choose the next chapter. Just PM me or write it in a review.**

**Thanks for all the reviews.**

**This chapter is about the quote "Hannibal, can we go home now." From the episode "Diamonds 'n Dust".**

**Enjoy!**

If there was something Murdock hated, it was to be helpless. This job hadn't exactly started well and it had only gotten worse.

Their clients look, when she first met him had only been the beginning. The mix of disgust and pity in her eyes was nothing new to him, still it hurt, sometimes more, sometimes less. The things that helped him most with it were flying and his team.

But he hadn't been flying this time. They had taken a regular flight and Murdock had been condemned to sit in the back as a normal, helpless passenger. Was even his team doubting his ability to fly? Was it because of Bogey?

They didn't even let him be a part of their scam, he had to get in before them, but why? For the first time Murdock felt something like betrayal from his team, but he quickly shook of this thoughts. They were not only his team, but his family. Should everybody turn against him, they would stand by his side. Only hours later Face had proofed that. He chose Murdock for his scam, not Amy, not BA. For a moment everything felt right again. There was nothing like fooling those bad guys together with his best friend.

But his emotional high hadn't lasted long. Only a bit later he had lost Bogey. And the worst was, it was his own fault. He had had to distract the goons and so he had done it, but at what cost. They had blasted Bogey's head of without a second thought and Murdock had been helpless again, there had been no way to prevent it. He hadn't even been strong enough to pay the guy who shot his little friend back, no, he had just gotten himself in danger and Hannibal had to save him.

Again his team saved him and to know they cared helped him again, but it wasn't the end of it.

Not much later he had to watch BA and Face climbing that mountain each with a pack wet dynamite on their back, not only one time almost falling all the way down, in constant danger of erupting in a giant fire ball. And again Murdock couldn't do anything about it, he just stood there and watched.

Thank god they reached the top of that cliff safe and sound, but there was no rest for the weary.

The enemy was already there.

Now here they were, inside that damn mine, with no way out except the way they got in, which was safely guarded. The mission hadn't been all bad, there had been some light moments, they had had big luck to even get this far, but there was only so much Murdock could take.

It wasn't a big step from the façade of the mad soldier, the reliable part of the A-team, to the frightened child that Murdock sometimes felt like inside. In the last hours that façade had been cracking more and more and now it was about to break down completely.

There just was no reason to be strong. It wasn't as if he was of any use grounded, in a cave, with no contact to the sky, he was meant to fly. Murdock hated being in caves, mines or under earth in any way. He was a pilot, he was meant to be up there in the sky. It was too tight, the air seemed stuffy, he couldn't breath. In panic he looked around.

Down here he could do nothing but wait, the scared child took over, no need to be a soldier now.

"Hannibal, can we go home now?", he asked in a little voice.

JSJSJSJSJSJSJSJSJSJSJSJSJSJSJSJSJSJSJSJS

Hannibal's POV:

"Hannibal, can we go home now?"

One look in those wide, innocent, brown eyes broke Hannibal's heart. Sometimes it was hard to see that Murdock wasn't his youngest team member. In that moment he looked so much younger than his 36 years. Sometimes he just wanted to wrap his arms around him, keep him safe, tell him everything would be okay. They were all like son's to him, but Murdock was his special boy. He would go along with his different characters. But that wasn't what Murdock needed right now, what he needed was the hope to get out there, something to do, Murdock needed a plan and Hannibal was supposed to deliver. The responsibility for his team pressed hard on his shoulders that moment.

Fortunately luck was on his side once more, they had enough supplies to build weapons, to get out. Soon the jazz was back and the plan came together. They in fact got out, but the best was probably the chopper. When Murdock took hold of the skids of the chopper that was about to take off there was no sign of that frightened child anymore. Murdock the pilot was back and no one in Hannibal's doubted, that their pilot would bring down the chopper safely.

**I hope you all had a merry Christmas and, as I am not going to update until next year, wish you all a happy new year.**

**I hope you enjoyed reading, please review.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Don't mess with my family!**

**Hi guys, I am finally back, sorry it took me so long, I just wanted to watch the episodes I am writing about first, for it had been some time since I last watched them. But as life is, things got in my way and well, now I finally found the time to write. Also I got a bit carried away, otherwise I would have updated sooner, but as it is, it is extra long (over 3300 words!) :)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the A-Team, only the DVD-box.**

**Warnings: Spoilers for the first three episodes of season 5.**

**I wrote this chapter on suggestion of the wonderful _MissEclipse. _Technically I was only asked for a scene from "Firing Line", but I couldn't stop myself expand it a bit, so I made it a two parter, the second part contains the scene she wanted me to write about. I hope you don't mind and enjoy reading it.**

**Part 1:**

Murdock's spirits had been low for quite some time. In fact since he had heard about that General Stockwell the first time, maybe it was some kind of foreboding. Maybe his sullen mood had something to do with that Frankie guy joining them too.

Sure, it had been fun to see how that young guy had managed to con their conman and even BA, while Murdock had seen right through him. As if he would ever try tanning butter on his precious leather jacket! Murdock wasn't stupid, he had always had a knack for knowing if people were trying to trick him, that's why him and Face got along so well.

The pilot took to confusing Frankie, acting strange and irrational around him, it was kinda fun to watch that guy trying to figure him out,something most of his doctors had yet to manage. The younger man even went to Murdock's team mates, asking about him, of course getting no answers. Still, there was something about the whole thing that made Murdock more than uncomfortable, that mad him run around without his usual cheery smile on his lips.

Maybe he was just jealous, for the parental affection the Colonel treated the new guy with. That was usually reserved for Murdock or Face, maybe he felt like Frankie was trying to replace him, but maybe there was more to it...

Later he found, that he had been at least partly right. Frankie was never going to steal his place on the team, but he had betrayed them already. They couldn't really judge him for it, as he said he had done it for his father, but as the guys were abducted from the barn by General Stockwell's men, Murdock was sure he had betrayed them again.

When he got back with their meals, only to find his guys being abducted by that General, leaving him all alone, there was one thing he was absolutely sure about, as he stared after the vehicles, Frankie was going to pay for this. He understood that the boy spied for Stockwell to help his father, one did that for ones family, but this time Frankie had gone to far, he had messed with Murdock's family, and no one messed with his family!

As soon as Murdock heard that the trial was due he was on his way, he knew that he had to be there with them, Frankie would have to wait. If he was there his team, his family would know he hadn't abandoned them, that there was still hope. If he was there there might be a chance, however slim, that he could convince the court that they were not guilty or find something, or someone who or that could.

He entered the building alone, feeling nervous, with all that reporters around, he was on enemies territory, in this rooms they would decide the fate of his team.

He hadn't expected Frankie to be there, so the arm reaching out for him took him by surprise, but as he turned around surprise quickly made way for hot white fury.

How dared the traitor to be here, to act as if nothing happened?

It took all Murdock had not to strangle Frankie right there.

"Don't strangle him, ain't gonna do the guys any good!", he repeated in his head over and over again.

Unaware of the danger he was in Frankie began to talk.

"Hey Murdock, how's it going, huh?", he greeted.

Murdock couldn't believe it, that guy really the impudence to ask that, all of it was his fault after all!

Murdock's gaze darkened, the small, dangerous smile, the look in his eyes would have sent even BA running for his mummy, but Frankie remained completely unfazed.

He continued to talk, unaware that he was just digging his own grave.

"Maybe I could watch some of the trial with you." Murdock felt his self-control crumple away, how dare he?!

"Lend a little support to our boys." At that Murdock snapped. Here he was, the one who was about to get the only persons, who cared about Murdock killed, the ones that meant everything to him and he had the NERVE... Frankie had never even earned the right to call them HIS boys, but if he HAD, then he would have lost it the same second he betrayed them.

The pilot's ears were ringing and before he knew it he had the traitor pinned against the next wall, fighting to remain a low voice, when he wanted nothing more than to shout.

"It's NOT "our boys", it's "MY boys". NOT "our boys"."

Frankie relented, finally realising, what Murdock was about to do. He tried to justify himself, starting about his father, but for once Murdock didn't care about it, he didn't care, if his story was true, hell, he didn't want to believe it to be true, because if it were true Murdock knew, he could never hate him for doing what he did. But he wanted to hate him, because of how infuriating calm he was while the teams lives were hanging by a thread.

That was what made him call Frankie's story a "fiction", while a little, unwelcome, nagging voice in the back of his head reminded him, that it might be true.

When Frankie reminded him proudly, that he got the team the lawyer, surely hoping to calm Murdock down, as if that would make it all good again, as if that was enough, the only thing holding Murdock back was the thought what Hannibal would say, if he got himself and Frankie kicked out of the building by hitting Frankie square in the face.

After all Hannibal had invited the special effects specialist along, even after he knew of his treason.

He had invited him, just like he had invited BA and Face and also Murdock all that time ago. He knew they all hadn't been easy on him and he was sure they were responsible for most of their CO's grey hairs, but Hannibal had always trusted them.

He had chosen them and no matter what they did they could count on him, he would stand up for them if no one else did and would trust them if no one else trusted them.

That was the only reason that kept Murdock's fist at bay. Hannibal trusted Frankie and that meant he would not appreciate Murdock's actions.

So Murdock settled for another glare, letting the traitor know that only Hannibal's trust protected him.

"But another step in the wrong direction, just one and you are done!", Murdock added in thoughts and judging by the hint of fear in Frankie's eyes the message had finally hit home.

At that moment Stockwell entered the scene. "Great", Murdock thought. "Now I've got two traitors to deal with."

Watching the trial was hard for Murdock, it would have been even without Frankie sitting next to him, making commentaries about the ongoings like he was watching some sports events.

After all they had done for this country, after all they had been through, they had to sit in these room and listen to all these ridiculous lies about their "wrong doings". Hadn't the situation been so serious Murdock might have laughed about them.

In fact he couldn't blame BA when he lost it after facing those unfair accusations, Murdock himself was ready to strangle someone at that time. As the fight began Murdock jumped to his feet, he couldn't just watch his team fight without joining in. Yet that was exactly what he had to do. Helplessly he watched as his friends surrendered after already winning, Hannibal was trying to impose their innocence upon them, but Murdock secretly thought it to be futile.

He knew that after that stunt they had just pulled in front of the court and after finally being caught after all that time, there was absolutely no way the court was going to just let the team walk out of it again. As the trial went on things got worse instead of better and with all that false witnesses it would take a wonder, a big one at that, for them to be found "not guilty". Murdock was determined to, if necessary, make that wonder happen.

The trial extended and there were times when it looked quite good for the guys, but in Murdock's mind there could be no doubt on the outcome. When they called him as a witness he knew, that nothing he was going to say would change something, so his main goal had to be to keep himself from becoming a suspect in the case. He might as well have some fun and entertain his boys with his statement.

So as he was questioned Murdock went all in, he felt the expectant gaze of his friends on him. They were looking forward for some entertainment and he was going to give it to them.

The Captain was determined to pull a con the "facial one" himself would be proud of. Starting really serious he made his story as crazy as possible, to infuriate BA and convince the court of his insanity and maybe a bit to embarrass the accuser. He even threw in some bad jokes and a monster for his Colonels delight and a beautiful woman for Face. (**A/N: Honestly, they should have made a movie out of it, it had everything: action, love, humour, pirates, monsters... :DD Loved it!) **

Upon sensing their smiles he went one better, holding them a blazing speech about army manuals.

The bad hidden humour in Hannibal's and Face's eyes told him he had done good.

Their mood had improved quite a bit, but only until that blasted document from Colonel Quyet appeared, blaming the team not only for treason but for murder.

The Team hadn't known of Morrison's treason, Murdock was sure of it. But he had found out, unfortunately only after setting the team down in Hanoi. As the Captain got back to report to the Colonel, he overheard a phone call. The Colonel was selling the team out. At first Murdock had been sure he must misheard Colonel Morrison, but as he confronted him, he had admitted it.

Colonel Morrison had always been one of Murdock's favourite Commanding officers, the more of a shock was it when he found out. Morrison had tried to explain himself, had almost begged Murdock to understand, he would have a ill wife at home, the treatment were to expensive to be paid by his wage.

Murdock wouldn't have any of it, he had shouted at him, for getting the team in danger, urged him to sign a confession there and then, he would be back in a few moments to get it. Then he had stormed out to try and contact his team, to warn them in time. That day he had failed. As he got back, to at least get the confession the HQ was burning, the confession lost, Morrison dead.

No, Murdock hadn't killed him, but someone must have overheard them that day, while Murdock was shouting.

The Team kept getting betrayed by good guys, who only wanted to save their families and Murdock kept failing them. He had never told them about Morrison, afraid, that they might think him to be the murderer, afraid, that they would blame him, because he hadn't been fast or good enough, to prevent them from getting fugitives.

But now the time had come to make it right, he would go after Quyet. He would clear their names.

As he was going after Quyet Murdock had to admit that he was glad that Frankie had joined it, that he wasn't alone with it. As reluctant and appalled he had been at the beginning. This mission would have been too much to handle alone for anybody.

Frankie had a mouth too big for his own good and he could be pretty arrogant, but as Murdock worked with him he began to see what his Colonel saw in him. He had gone along with Murdock's, admittedly strange actions, he just couldn't help it, the lives of the persons he cared for the most in the whole wide world were at stakes, who wouldn't lose it?

And while Frankie was completely inexperienced and understood nothing of how to act on a mission, his special effects knowledge came in pretty handy. Murdock had to admit that they were having fun, well as much fun as one can have, when his best buddies are most likely to be killed.

The Captain could tell that Frankie still wasn't as serious as he should have been about their mission, but he respected Murdock as crazy as he was and there weren't many persons, besides the team, who did that. They were working together quite nicely too and for a few moments, after they had caught Quyet everything had seemed to get a happy ending after all, but it didn't come to that...

Hell he had even had the court willing to listen, he was on time! And than this Colonel Quyet would go ahead and tell them all the same bunch of lies they wanted to hear, the same bunch of lies, that would them get convicted. Murdock felt desperation rising inside him, he had failed his team again, whatever he did, nothing seemed to work, it all just seemed to make it worse.

However, Murdock was far from giving up. He was part of the best special forces team the army had ever had, after all! That was the fire inside, that kept him running, after his friends were sentenced to death. After he had stand there, seeing the disappointment for the country they had done for so much in their eyes and not being able to help them. If there was something he had learned from his time with his team, it was to never give up, because there was always, ALWAYS a way out. There just had to be.

Of course the court had him put back to the VA hospital after the trial, he was still insane, after all and Murdock didn't argue, he needed time and silence to plan his next move and he knew he would get plenty of it there. In the outside world there were still some goons out and about looking for him, Murdock suspected them to belong to Stockwell, Frankie had been bothered by them too, so he was safest there. Besides, his friends were in prison, because he failed them, so he figured it just served him right that he had to spend time at his personal prison.

He would see to it however, that he always had access to the recent news. He knew the execution of the special forces team was going to be too big a thing, to keep it from the news, so it was his safest way to find out about the date.

Murdock knew his doctors and nurses would try to keep it from him and he wouldn't put it past them to fake the newspaper he got, so he saw to it, that he would always get more than one newspapers from different sources (a few of their old clients were more than happy to help). The thought alone of missing the date made him shudder. The longer he thought about it the clearer it became to him that there could be no failure, a life without his team wouldn't be worth living...

So when the news arrived, when he read about the date there was no hesitating, he had to get out of there, get to Frankie, safe the guys. He escaped without major problems, after all this years it was still painfully easy. They always did little more than run after him and thanks to Hannibal's training he was in top form. He ran like a footballer attempting a touch down, just body checking the orderlies that were unhappy enough to get in his way. The unicycle accident was a bit unfortunate, but in his current state there was no stopping Murdock.

Not much later he got to Frankie's and to Murdock's great relief he was home, however there was still the problem with the slime balls that kept showing up...

Murdock knew, as he fought of one of the goon, while the other was attacking Frankie, it had to have something to do with this blasted General Stockwell, the one that had started their misery.

No, to him it wasn't enough to take the credit for catching the team, as far as Murdock knew he hadn't even taken the credit, there had to be more to it. Murdock had a feeling that that pompous guy wanted to use the team, he was sure the General had planned it all out neatly and they all had just acted how he wanted them, like good little sheep, it made Murdock livid. Still, as he made his way to Stockwell's hideout, they had the "address" from goon number two, who, after facing the defect lift shaft, had suddenly become very cooperative, he was determined to use that in his favour. While he might be nuts, he surely wasn't stupid.

As it turned out Stockwell wasn't either, but while it didn't all go according to plan as they got out (or rather were carried out) of the plane, they had what they needed.

A plan had popped up in Murdock's mind, just before he got unconscious, now he would just have to make it work in time.

Making it work in time, however seemed to be a problem as they woke in the trash cans, with a murder headache. It took a while to remember what was going on, but as he did the pilot was one step from panicking, he had lost his watch, so he had no way to determine if he had still time and he had no idea where the hell he was. He knew Stockwell was behind this, again!, but it all didn't make any sense. Didn't the General want the team alive anymore, what could have changed his mind? Or did he just not want Murdock to save them, but save them himself instead, to call in favours later? Or maybe it was just another part of his twisted plan?

Whatever it was Murdock couldn't depend on speculations and he had to do something now, so he went on with his plan. They were taking the only way in, there was, they were getting invited.

As Murdock watched his plan unfold before him, he couldn't help but feel a little pride, it was a good plan, Hannibal would be proud of him.

Of course they had to rob a priest first to get fitting outfits for their trip. It was something Face, being raised by nuns, would never have approved of and Murdock himself didn't quite like it, but he had no choice... They entered the island by ship, Murdock first, Frankie was to come a bit later, both dressed up as priests.

As Murdock walked along the jetty, he met Stockwell, he knew the General recognized him, but he didn't care, the Captain had taken precautions, after all Stockwell had hinted that someone might recognize him as the teams pilot. So far the plan was working out just fine.

The Captain reached the cells of his teammates undisturbed, cover still intact.

He took a deep breath, before he made himself known to them, he didn't know what to expect, maybe he half feared to see them broken, resigned to their fate, but as he heard them joking around through the door he sighed of relief. Grinning broadly he stormed in, it warmed his heart how their gazes lit up, as they recognized him. But there was no time for a joyful reunion, he had to go on with the plan.

Give them the stage blood and then change the bullets for the firing squad. But it didn't come to that, he was caught before he could carry through with his plan. They dragged him out of the cell, before he even got the chance to tell his team about the plan. His friends faces fell, as he was escorted out, but instead of accusation or disappointment there was only worry for their mad friend in their eyes. It hurt Murdock more than anything and he wished for nothing more than to be able to tell them it was part of the plan, that they needn't worry, but he couldn't without ruining the plan. So he just kept repeating it in his head, willing them to hear him.

_Don't worry, muchachos, you gonna be safe._

In the hallway he gave the bible he had been carrying to Frankie, it was up to the boy now.

**It is a bit long, so I hope there aren't to many mistakes I overread...**


	5. Chapter 5

**Part 2 (over 1300 words):**

Alone on the ship that was to carry them back to the mainland Murdock was worried sick. What if something went wrong? While Frankie had proved his loyalty by now, he felt uncomfortable to trust him with something that important. Frankie took it all too easy (**get it?**), to him it all was just a game.

It felt as if a great weight had been taken off his shoulders as the special effects expert got on board, at least he hadn't been detected.

"Did you make the switch okay?", Murdock greeted him, there was no time for niceties, he just had to know.

The answer wasn't what he had hoped for, but it was what he had expected.

"What'll sound better, 'I think' or 'I hope'?"

And again Murdock felt the strong need to strangle the younger man. How could he not be sure? How could he still think this a game? It was a matter of life and death, one, only one mistake and he would never see HIS guys again!

Instead Murdock just rolled his eyes in annoyance, it was to late to change anything, all he could do now was to wait and pray. Maybe his outfit was going to help him with the later.

The ship had left the island behind when he heard the sound, the worst sound in the world. He had been waiting for the guns to go off, since they Frankie and him had both entered the ship.

Had wished to never hear it, but at the same time had yearned to hear it, so he would know that it was over. He just wanted the unbearable tension to ease.

Still, as the pilot heard the sound of gunfire it came as a shock to him. His breath caught in his throat, it felt as if the bullets fired that far away bore their way into his heart. He fought to regain control over his breathing, tried to fight away the pictures in his head.

_BA, dead, lying on the floor, looking so much smaller in death than he had ever looked alive. Face and Hannibal standing beside him, alive. Digging their accusing glares in his eyes, blaming him for BA's death. Turning around, never wanting to see him again._

_The funeral, all of their clients present, pointing their fingers at Murdock, not letting him through to see the boys one last time, voices shouting at him, chasing him away._

_Murdock standing at the coffins, suddenly his friends open their eyes, Murdock wants to hug them, tell them how glad he is that they are alive, but they aren't, they are mere shadows. They brush him off, tell him they never want to see him again. They are going where he cannot follow them. He begs them to take him with them, but they just turn, walking away, leaving the pilot behind, rooted to the spot._

Murdock fights to snap out of it, "They are not dead, they can't be dead!", he keeps telling himself in his head. Only Frankie's presence keeps him from rocking back and forth in distress. He can't show any weakness in front of him, he has only ever shown weakness, when he was alone with the boys, because he knew their demons were the same, they would understand him. Only now even they wouldn't. They didn't know how Murdock felt right now.

Suddenly a sharp pain erupted in his shoulder, his body remembering how he had been shot in the shoulder on a mission all that time ago. He closed his eyes in pain. But as he does, he feels Face's comforting hand on his uninjured shoulder, feels Hannibal's worried gaze upon him. He remembers the feeling when BA tugged him in, the big, angry man for once as gentle as a kitten.

The throbbing pain in is shoulder eases, Murdock begins to calm down.

The harsh reality fades and he gets lost in his mind.

Again images begin flashing up in front of his inner eye, at first fast, barely recognizable, he saw his life with the team.

_Hannibal, lighting his cigar, smiling, on the jazz,_

_Face, kissing a pretty lady, looking so carefree,_

_BA, for once not scowling, but smiling at a little girl..._

_Hannibal, looking at him with that proud look in his eyes, the one only a father wore,_

_Face, high fiving him after a job well done,_

_BA, unconscious in a plane with him..._

Slowly the images got plainer, more detailed.

Murdock saw himself surrounded by his friends, they were throwing him a surprise party, after they found out about his birthday. He heard them sing "Happy Birthday", even BA...

The image faded.

He was back in 'Nam, an inexperienced new pilot, but with great skill, always getting in trouble because of his cocky nature. He remembered. Hannibal, calmly guiding him, teaching him how to stay alive, Face, always at his side, talking him out of trouble on a daily routine, BA, backing them up in a fight, always complaining, but always there to help them, like a big brother.

He remembered all the times the team saved him in war and all the times he had got them out of heavy enemy fire with his chopper. Remembered all the times they were crouching in the dirt to hide from view. And he remembered that he had never truly been afraid, when he was with his team, because he knew he could depend on them, always. They would look after him and he would look after them, that was the way it worked, not only back in 'Nam but also back in the States.

More images came to him, this time memories from the missions they took on back home.

He remembered all the crazy plans Hannibal had had, all the times they had to knock out BA, so Murdock could fly them somewhere.

Hannibal had always given the pilot an important role in his plans, despite him being officially declared insane.

He thought about all the scams he and Face had pulled together, how his best buddy would always spring him from the VA. He remembered the time he had dressed up as a General, wearing the uniform of a road patrol guard, how he and Face had talked that guy, selling dynamite, into giving them what they wanted. It worked, like every time, they were unstoppable. And if it would not work for once, they knew, they had each others back.

And finally he recollected all the times BA had nearly strangled him, because he was talking to his socks, because the big guy woke up in a plane or with a plane nearby, because of Billy and one of his favourites: because Murdock had been talking to "Mister Ed". Despite all their differences they were the best of friends. And Murdock knew that BA liked him, even if he always threatened the pilot.

A feeling of warmth and comfort seemed to be spreading from his stomach all over his body now, they had had a hell of a good time!

Murdock savoured the feeling for a moment, then his mind began to wander again.

The next image though wasn't a memory, Murdock ran along a long hallway, on and on he went, until it ended in a big hall, a plane standing in the middle.

Slowly he neared the plane, inside was his team, even BA and fully conscious. But Murdock had no time to wonder, because they invited him in. Hesitantly Murdock entered. They led him towards the cockpit, made him sit in the pilot seat. He looked at them confusion evident in his big, brown eyes. They just smiled at him, told him to get it up. Murdock looked at BA questioningly.

The big man nodded, "Time to get you back", he said, unusually gentle.

Murdock took off and as the plane neared the sky the plane around him began to fade, the sky got more real and a few moments later Murdock returned to reality, to Frankie gently prodding him, wearing a concerned expression.

"We have arrived at the mainland", he informed him with one last odd look.

Together with Frankie Murdock left the ship. The moment of truth was about to come, but now Murdock felt strangely calm about it. It was as if somehow he knew everything was okay. He knew that was irrational, but he refused to think about other possibilities. His guys had to be okay and deep inside he knew they were.

**Thanks for reading, I hope you liked it and it isn't too crazy..., please review.**

**More updates may take some time, my final year at school is nearing it's end and with it the Abitur is nearing. Please bear with me.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Brothers**

**Disclaimer: Surprise: I don't own the A-team...**

**You may notice, that this chapter differs from the others. It is shorter and the style is different. But in my opinion it fits the title of this story quite well and it was inspired by an A-team episode ('Steel'), like the rest of them. That's why I decided to put it here.**

**Set in and after the last few minutes of 'Steel'.**

**Hope you enjoy!**

My father always said I was a beauty. All my life I had men stare at me, for my good looks. Now my father is long gone, but the stares continue.

It has always been my wish, to talk to a man, who wouldn't stare, who would look past my beauty and accept me as an equal.

Sure, I've got my uncle, but that's not the same. Our relation is a little strange and he still sees me as a little girl. And my brother I've known for all my live, so he hardly counts in that aspect.

When we got in trouble with Crazy Tommy T and hired the A-team, I met men, that just saw me as a client. Nothing more, nothing less. It was refreshing!

I really enjoyed to watch them work as a team, beating up the bad guys, but there was no chance to get to know them.

With their strong bond, there seemed to be no place for strangers. In danger, it was the four of them against the rest of the world. While they 'worked' together, each had the others back. They seemed like the best of friends. The more shocking it was, when it was time for them to leave and none of them seemed ready to take Murdock back home.

As I watched them argue I felt pity towards Murdock. Granted, he was a bit crazy, but he held his own against the bad guys. He had played a tremendous part in their victory and now he just stood there, silently. All the while his friends argued who got to take him home as if he was an unloved child or the dog he had pretended to be.

It seemed so wrong to me, I wanted to do something about it. Also I saw my chance to get to know one of these men.

So I volunteered.

Before I knew what happened, the words tumbled out of my mouth: "I can take him back!"

My offer was met by confused silence.

I was beginning to feel uncomfortable, when Murdock grinned. "That would be nice."

The team looked uncomfortable.

"No worry, kid. We can take Murdock. The VA is basically on our way", Hannibal said and BA nodded with his trademark scowl.

"No, no. I'll take him", Face chimed in. "Maybe this sweet nurse will give me her number this time!"

Murdock's smile only widened: "It's all right, guys. I shall be back, keep that dog biscuits for me, Face!"

Hannibal laughed as he climbed into the van, BA followed, murmuring something about fools.

Face gave Murdock one wave. "Give my greetings to that nurse", he said, than he was off too and Murdock jumped into my car energetically.

"Let's ride in the sunset together, darling!", he joked.

If I wrote a novel, I would have told you, that the first part of the ride was spent in thoughtful silence. That I was thinking of a nice way to ask Murdock about the behavior of his friends, while he was pondering, why his friends had betrayed him like that.

But that was not what happened.

Well, the first part was actually true, I was thinking about, how to ask the pilot about his friends.

Murdock however was everything but silent. He was singing along to happy tunes of the radio, giving voice imitations and at some point even tried to teach a card trick to someone called Billy...

The Captain seemed happy enough, so at some point I just bluntly asked him: "Aren't you hurt none of your friends wanted to get you back to the hospital?"

Murdock looked at me surprised, pausing his card games: "Why would I?"

"Well, they talked about taking you home, like it was some kind of burden, a punishment even. And they talked about you, as if you weren't there, like you were a dog!", I pointed out to him.

Murdock laughed, then he began to absentmindedly hum 'Country Roads', while he thought of a way to explain it to me. Or that is what I think he was doing, you can never be sure with Murdock...

"You ought to know, darling", he began after a while ",that my guys would never abandon me. They would give their live for me and I would give my live for them. That is all I need to know and it's the reason why nothing they do or say to me will ever truly hurt me. The only thing I need to be sure of is, that they care about me. Everything else is trivial."

Murdock thought about, what he said a moment, then he nodded.

"You could kind of compare it to siblings. The team and I, we are brothers. And I somehow got stuck with the role of the youngest brother, even though I am older than BA, at least in years", he laughed.

"You've got a brother yourself, you know siblings aren't always nice to each other. What older sibling wouldn't complain at having to look after his little brother? It's fine how they treat me, because it reassures me that we are brothers. People most times won't complain to bring their friend home, but if it is their sibling they will start a ruckus. Not because they mind so much, more because it is what siblings do. Friendship is a wonderful thing, but nothing can get as strong as the bond between siblings, between brothers!"

"I think, I understand", I replied after a few seconds.

And just like that the somber mood was gone again and Murdock singing alongside the radio. This time I joined him.

At the VA I decided to stay a while, because the pilot wanted to show me one of his video games. It was actually a fun evening. When I was about to go, a nurse entered with a phone.

"For you, Mister Murdock", she told him.

Murdock grinned brightly as he took the hearer. "Face", he mouthed.

Smiling, I left him to his call. It was time for me to go.

I never regret bringing Murdock home, as unnecessary as it had been. I found, I really enjoyed his company and went to visiting him from time to time after that.

Never again did I doubt that Hannibal, Face and BA were truly Murdock's friends. They were even more – they were brothers!

**A cookie (::) for your thoughts! Please review ;)**


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